Strange Victory, Strange Defeat

Dive into the heart of our ethos with this gem from Silver Jews' final album, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea (2008). The track "Strange Victory, Strange Defeat" isn't just a song—it's our squirrely manifesto, packed with metaphors that echo our farm's feisty fight. Crank up the volume and witness a rare, raw performance by Silver Jews in Juan's Basement (a Pitchfork classic). Watch David Berman and the band bring the lyrics to life in this intimate session.  It's like peeking into a squirrel's secret jam session—mischievous, mesmerizing, and full of hidden depths.

These words aren't just poetry—they're our battle cry. Berman's squirrels aren't fluffy sidekicks; they're revolutionaries, much like our farm crew.

Nutkin's Legacy: Our Fable-Fueled Rebellion 

The song's squirrel squad draws straight from Beatrix Potter's timeless tale, The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin. Remember Nutkin? That cheeky red squirrel who thumbed his nose (or tail) at Old Mr. Brown, the stern owl enforcing the forest's rigid rules. Instead of groveling for nuts, Nutkin danced, riddled, and rebelled—risking it all for a spark of freedom.

We're the Nutkins of the farming world! Our "Mr. Browns" are the corporate ag giants, demanding conformity with chemical-soaked monocrops that drain the land and spirit alike. But we? We frolic with lunar cycles, brew compost potions, and grow heirlooms that twist and shout in defiance. Our spiraled Manpukuji carrots and neon Glass Gem corn aren't accidents—they're acts of playful protest, honoring nature's rhythms over rigid exploitation.

This isn't rebellion for rebellion's sake; it's for a thriving future. Every seed we plant defies the status quo, every harvest builds community. Craving that Nutkin energy? Snag our seasonal CSA boxes for veggies that pack a punch of flavor and folklore—perfect for your own kitchen adventures.

Virtue Gone to Seed: Echoes of Emerson in Our Earth

Berman's line about "virtue gone to seed" nods to Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay on "Manners," where he skewers fashion as a faded echo of true greatness:  

Fashion, though in a strange way, represents all manly virtue. It is virtue gone to seed: it is a kind of posthumous honor. It does not often caress the great, but the children of the great: it is a hall of the Past. It usually sets its face against the great of this hour. Great men are not commonly in its halls: they are absent in the field: they are working, not triumphing.

Spot on, Ralph! We see modern industrial agriculture the same way: a bloated shadow of farming's noble roots. What was once vibrant—small-scale, local family farms nurturing soil, farmers, and communities—has withered into multinational machines that prioritize profit over planet. Virtues like sustainability and biodiversity? Gone to seed, corrupted and complacent.

But at Strange Victory Farm, we're reviving those virtues with gusto. We blend biodynamic magic, renewable solar power, and heirloom heroes to cultivate a fresh era: one where farming dances with nature, not dominates it. We're sowing seeds of real change—biodiversity that buzzes with life, community ties that strengthen our local scene, and flavors that make your meals sing.

Join the squirrel revolution! Subscribe to our heirloom veggie deliveries, grab rare seeds for your garden, or swing by for a tour. Let's turn strange defeats into victorious feasts—one quirky bite at a time. Your taste buds (and the earth) will declare it a win.